Thursday, May 21, 2015

I guess time heals...

The Chicago Tribune published an article yesterday, "Penn State athletic director says Joe Paterno's legacy will be honored."

Ugh.

Coincidentally, there was an obituary in Tuesday's New York Times, "Rev. John Lo Schiavo Dies at 90; University President Barred Basketball" (my emphasis):

The Rev. John Lo Schiavo, who spent 14 years as president of the
University of San Francisco, notably making headlines when he took the
rare step of suspending the men’s basketball program after repeated
violations of National Collegiate Athletic Association rules, died on
Friday in Los Gatos, Calif. He was 90.

Nationally, Father Lo Schiavo is best known for his decision in 1982 to
forgo the revenue, publicity and acclaim of the university’s successful
men’s basketball program and instead stand up for institutional
rectitude. His suspension of the program indefinitely was considered the
first time a university had shut down a major sports program, without
external pressure to do so, because of N.C.A.A. rules violations, some
of which preceded his tenure.

Someone on Twitter pointed out to me last night:

ZERO NCAA violations by PSU. EVER.

And I guess, strictly speaking, she's right: child molesting isn't an NCAA violation. But it is a crime. And Joe Paterno should have done something about it.

I suggest Penn State's athletic director read that obituary and forgo the revenue, publicity and acclaim of the university’s successful football program and instead stand up for institutional
rectitude.

In other words, drop football and become what you were supposed to be in the first place: a university.